Rabobank offers Tomorrow's Dairy an interest rate discount

Dairy farmers participating in the Tomorrow's Dairy program (formerly Low carbon farming) of Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods, in collaboration with Nestlé, can now receive an interest rate discount on both current and new loans from Rabobank.

Rabobank, Nestlé and Vreugdenhil signed a cooperation agreement this week for the coming five years. In the photo above this article from left to right: Alex Datema (director Food & Agro Rabobank), Nicoline van Gerrevink (executive director Food System Transition-team Rabobank), dairy farmer and participant Leendert van Staalduijnen, Albert de Groot (CEO Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods) and Rob Trompetter (CFO Nestlé Benelux).

'Economic value and sustainability go hand in hand'
Participants are eligible for the interest discount if they have a minimum performance on a number of points: number of cows per hectare, CO2 equivalent level per kilo of milk, share of protein from own land, share of permanent grassland, nitrogen farm surplus per hectare, lifespan of dairy cattle, grazing. "By financially supporting dairy farmers in their sustainability efforts, we make it possible for economic value and sustainability to go hand in hand," says Alex Datema, director of Food & Agri Netherlands at Rabobank, in a press release.

Within the Tomorrow's Dairy program, dairy farmers draw up a customized business plan with measurable sustainability goals together with agricultural advisors, according to Vreugdenhil. Participating dairy farmers receive a premium for this. Nestlé and Vreugdenhil are investing more than €50 million in Tomorrow's Dairy. The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in 2030 compared to 2018. The program started in 2022 with 17 participants and now has 150 participants. The number will be expanded step by step to 200.

Linda van Eekeres

Linda van Eekeres is co-writing editor-in-chief. She mainly focuses on macro-economic developments and the influence of politics on the agricultural sector.

l.vaneekeres@boerenbusiness. Nl

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